Paul Rudd has said he would drink sparkling water as a “reward” at the height of his restrictive diet while playing Ant-Man in the Marvel films. The Clueless star joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015, most recently starring in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earlier this year. Over the years, many Marvel stars have opened up about the grueling training regimens they undertake when cast in the superhero franchise. Rudd described the strict measures he went to while appearing on the comedy food podcast Off Menu, which sees guests asked to recall their multi-course “dream menu” by hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster. When asked what kind of water he preferred, the 54 year-old, told the comedians he was still a fan of the sparkling stuff. “When I was having to train for the Ant-Man movie, and I was on a very restrictive diet, my reward was sparkling water,” he said, with an incredulous laugh. “That’s how horrible that diet was. I was like, ‘Alright, I can have some sparkling water now, I’ve earned it.’” Rudd said that as he was training and “working out” so much, he would have “a lot of sparkling water” and joked that he would go for certain brands on a “cheat day”. “Did it feel like a treat?” Acaster asked, with Rudd replying: “Yeah, it was great. It wasn’t flavoured, I wasn’t gonna go crazy.” He added that he “kind of did it” for all the Marvel films, and that it was sometimes easier than expected. “Once you’re in it, it’s not too hard,” he said, particularly as he was “OK with having really boring food” continuously. The diet, Rudd said, actually gave him “tons of energy”. Acaster then asked Rudd if the other Marvel stars would “compare notes” when working together on ensemble films such as Avengers: Infinity War or its follow-up Endgame. “I mean, I think people kind of are,” he responded, “but I also think I worked out harder than anyone, I would eat better than everyone, and I looked worse than all of them. I had to work out all the time, eat perfectly, just to look kind of bad. Not even great.” “Was everyone snapping at each other though? Was everyone hangry?” Gamble asked. Rudd replied: “I don’t know… I remember on Endgame, Chris Hemsworth would always have these Tupperware containers and he’s eating this gruel, just a mash of stuff. “He’s working out, and then you stand next to a guy like that, and I just think, well what’s the point of any of this? Why am I killing myself when that can exist, and then I look at myself and this exists. I can never achieve that… That was the good thing at least – Ant-Man, it isn’t Thor. But I tried to work out, and it didn’t work.” Back in 2021, Hemsworth’s body double on the Marvel films, Bobby Holland Hanton, said that he was struggling to keep up with the size of the Australian “man mountain”. Over the years, however, a number of Marvel stars have spoken more critically about the body transformation expected for superhero movies. In an interview with The Independent, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 star Will Poulter said that actors needed to prioritise mental and physical health over “aesthetic goals”, “otherwise you end up promoting something that is unhealthy and unrealistic if you don’t have the financial backing of a studio paying for your meals and training”. “I’m in a very privileged position in that respect, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone do what I did to get ready for that job,” he added. Of the preparation, Poulter said that he had done “a lot of gym work and a very, very specific diet”. “It means not particularly civilised at times,” he explained. “Quantities of food you wouldn’t necessarily want to ingest. “And other times not enough food… I’ve gone through periods of looking at food and feeling like I can’t face it, and then you blink and the next minute you’re ready to eat furniture because you’re so hungry.” Read More Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire official teaser trailer first look as Billy Murry returns New Superman movie might have just found its Lex Luthor Susan Sarandon dropped by agents following comments at pro-Palestine rally New Superman movie might have just found its Lex Luthor Susan Sarandon dropped by agents following comments at pro-Palestine rally Scream 7 actor ‘fired’ over Israel-Palestine comments

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Hollywood’s actors and writers have both gone on strike for the first time since 1960 to protest against a number of decisions by major studios that include not just job cuts but also a potentially unsettling future in which they could be replaced by artificial intelligence. The leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood union representing 160,000 television and movie actors, went on strike on Thursday, joining the industry’s screenwriters who have already been picketing for over 70 days. Among the many issues flagged by both the writers and actors in the protests has been how generative AI tools could replace their roles in the industry. Over the last decade, AI has found several uses in the movie and television industry, from de-aging actors, analysing patterns and behaviours of viewers on streaming platforms, bringing back the voices of late actors and even helping stitch together entire movie trailers. One of the proposals, as explained by SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, feels like it is straight out of dystopian science fiction series Black Mirror. During a press conference on Thursday, Mr Crabtree-Ireland alleged that a proposal from Hollywood studios was to use “groundbreaking AI” to scan background performers and only offer them a day’s pay while the companies get to own the scans and use them for any project they want. “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies should own that scan, their image, their likeness and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity on any project they want, with no consent and no compensation,” the executive said. “If you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again,” Mr Crabtree-Ireland said. A statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), that represents the studios, claims the “groundbreaking AI” proposal “protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members”. “We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise... The entire business model has been changed by streaming and AI If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in jeopardy,” the actors’ guild president Fran Drescher said on Thursday. Follow along here for real-time updates on the SAG-AFTRA strike Writers who have already been protesting since May have also sought assurances from studios that their jobs would not be threatened by AI. With the steady rise of online streaming services looking to rack up user subscriptions by churning out endless amounts of digital content, writers on strike have sought new pay structures, guaranteed periods of work as well as better discussions on the limits of AI use. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) shared concerns that producers may seek to use AI to write scripts or at least use the technology to complete unfinished screenplays, and have also urged production houses to agree to safeguards around its usage. Screenwriters fear AI could be used to churn out a rough first draft with a few simple prompts and writers may then be hired after this initial step to punch such drafts up – albeit at a lower pay rate. Without further dialogue with studios, writers have raised concerns there could be a number of new ways that AI could be used to craft outlines for stories, fill in scenes and even come up with mock-up drafts. “There are ways it can be useful. But too many people are using it against us and using it to create mediocrity. They’re also in violation of copyright. They’re also plagiarizing,” Michael Winship, president of the WGA East, said in May. With these risks in mind, the WGA seeks more safeguards on how AI can be applied to the screenwriting process. Read More Hollywood actors and writers strike after ‘disgusting’ studios turn down deal. Here’s what it means for you Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike: ‘The eyes of the world are upon us’ Cast of Oppenheimer walk out of UK premiere ahead of actors’ strike announcement What happens next as striking actors send Hollywood into meltdown? Issa Rae and Jamie Lee Curtis lead A-listers voicing support for actors strike Hollywood in historic shutdown as actors union joins writers strike

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